Your Next Letter
by Sprogurt
Summary: Set a year after the final battle. Hermione decides to contact an old friend and finds he's the one person she can confide in. They soon learn that they need eachother more than they thought they ever could.
1. August 5th

_Dear Viktor,_

_It has been too long. It feels silly to think the last time we spoke was at Bill and Fleur's wedding, which is about two years ago now. Ginny, Ron's sister, just told us she's been picked as the new Holly Head chaser. It made me think of you. I do hope you are well. Harry tells me you're still seeker for Bulgaria. I apologise, I don't know a great deal about Quidditch, but how is your team doing? Excellent, no doubt._

_And how have you been? _

_Hermione_


	2. August 28th

_Dear Hermione,_

_Thank you for your letter. I have been thinking of you for a while. I read of you, Harry and Ron defeating you-know-who. I was very shocked by some of the stories. You were very brave. I hope you are all well._

_I'm sorry that my English isn't perfect. I have been working on it. My uncle used to teach me, but he died last year. No one else in my family are very good at speaking English, so I been studying books in English. Aleksander, my uncle, said that was the best way to learn._

_Harry was right. I am still seeker and my team is called Vratsa Vultures. We will not be coming to England this year, sadly. I would have liked to see you, but it just won't be possible. I am pleased to hear Ginny has got into the Holyhead Harpies. It is a very good team. I remember you telling me about her, but I cannot remember her from the Wedding. _

_I am fine. Thank you for asking. However, I am feeling tired. Harry may have told you that it is the Quidditch season. I am working very hard, but I don't complain. We are doing very well. We are third of the European league. Is Harry still interested in Quidditch? I remember he is a very good flyer._

_What have you been doing since I last saw you? Do you have a job? You must have a very good one, you are talented. Were you able to get your NEWT's? I hope that you were able to. _

_Thank you, again, for your letter. It's nice hearing from you,_

_Viktor._


	3. September 14th

_Dear Viktor,_

_Thank you for the reply. I can't believe I haven't written in so long. I feel so guilty. _

_I'm not surprised what you've read has shocked you. Some of it has shocked me. There are a lot of silly rumours flying about, even now. I am very well, thank you._

_I think your English is brilliant. Learning a new language is incredibly difficult. I think it's fair to say you speak better English than Ron. I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. I know how much he meant to you. From what you've told me he is a wonderful man. He was right about reading improving your English - it shows. I remember when you used to send me letters. It would take me a good half an hour of re-reading it before I would fully understand._

_And what books are you reading? I might know some that would interest you._

_It is a shame you're not coming to England this year. But you're welcome to come and visit as soon as the season is over. I now understand just how demanding Quidditch is. Ginny's been so busy the last couple of weeks. If she isn't on the Quidditch pitch, she's in bed, recovering from her intense training practices. I'm sure you'd recognise Ginny if you saw her. She was the red headed girl who did the extravagant dancing at the wedding. She's Harry's girlfriend now, they've just moved into a flat togethter._

_Harry, as ever, still loves Quidditch. But he hasn't pursued it. He and Ron are training to be Aurors. They've been at it for the past year. They were so pleased to be accepted for Auror training. They didn't think they'd be able to without any NEWT's. The new minister was so pleased to hear that they were so interested; he didn't care that they didn't have any. They've been busy catching rogue Death Eaters as well as studying. It isn't strictly allowed, but they manage to swing it._

_I haven't got a job yet. I've applied to get a job at the ministry. I have an interview in few weeks time. So wish me luck!_

_Instead of going straight into work I decided to go back to Hogwarts last year. The Auror training didn't appeal to me as much as it did the boys. It's a good feeling, being free from fighting dangerous wizards. I'm so glad it's all over. Harry and Ron say they missed it, which sounds odd, but I can kind of understand. It feels really strange to feel so free. It's just so much easier. A few years ago I would have thought that my NEWT year would be the hardest year of my life. But that sounds laughable after the years I've had. I enjoyed being a seventh year far more than I thought I could._

_How are your family? I hope everyone is well, including you. And I wish you luck for you next Quidditch match,_

_Hermione_


	4. September 30th

_Dear Hermione_

_Don't feel guilty. We are both to blame for not writing. _

_I suspected some of the stories were changed. Some of the things I was reading was ridiculous. But tell me, what did happen? You left at the wedding? I remember the fight. I stayed for a while to help, but Fleur told me to leave. She said it would be easier to sort out if the family could talk with them. I don't think it went well though._

_My English isn't all that good Hermione. You are just flattering me. I speak better English than Ron? I'm not sure about that. Are you and Ron still together? Ron's cousin, I forgot his name, told me you were his girlfriend. He never liked me much. I see now he was jealous, maybe?He loved you even back then._

_I have read few books. 'He Flew Like a Madman', 'Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century', 'Flying Among Dragons'. It isn't a lot. It takes me a long time to read a book in English. I do think I get faster though._

_It would be nice to visit you. I may be able to after Christmas. We get two weeks break from practices over Christmas and new years. But we are to visit my family in Macedonia for Christmas. _

_When I was first seeker for Vratsa Vultures, I was very weak. I was always sleeping like Ginny is. She will get used to it though. I do remember her now. She danced with her brothers, the twins. She was very full of energy, I'm sure she'll be fine._

_I am surprised Harry isn't in a Quidditch team. I would have thought he would have been very good. You used to tell me how much he loved it. However, I am not surprised that he is an Auror. Defeating You-know-who was very impressive. So was Ron. You two were very loyal, helping Harry. They enjoy catching Death Eaters?_

_And, of course, I wish you luck. You will get the job. No one could beat you. You are very smart. What did you get in your NEWT's? All outstanding's, I am sure. Hogwarts was a wonderful school. It was so much nicer than Durmstrang. I have been told by my cousin that it is better now. The new head teacher is a lot kinder. He tells me that it is always warm now and they no longer learn the Dark Arts. _

_My family are well. My Mother is happy. She is pleased for me. Your luck was good. I think it helped us because we won our match. We are now second in the League. It is the best we have done since the world cup. Even though we lost to the Irish, we still did very well. My father isn't so happy though. He is sad for his brother. He misses him a lot. He tries hard not to show it, but it is obvious. He helped my father with the family business. They opened their shop when they were very young. They made and sold broomsticks. They are very good. But my father has struggled on his own. I have tried to help him when I am not training. I know it's not much help for him, but I feel I have to help. I'm hope he will get better soon. How is your family?_

_And good luck for your job interview,_

_Viktor_


	5. October 9th

_Dear Viktor,_

_I suppose you're right. I do hope we can keep better in touch now though. It's nice talking to you, takes my mind off all the work. Every thing has got very busy recently. I got the job at the ministry. I'm now personal assistant to the head of the Department for the regulation and control of magical creatures. There's a lot of work to do, but I won't complain. I'm going to be moving out of my parents' house soon so they can move back in, so I'm going to need a good pay. _

_I didn't do as well as I would have hoped in my NEWT's. Ginny keeps telling me off for complaining about it though. She says I just expect too much of myself, which is probably true. I got six outstanding's and an Exceeds Expectations. I messed up in my astronomy exam. I confused Mars with Venus. It was so annoying, I'd been studying it only the day before. _

_And you ask what happened? Where to start! I know after we left Mr Weasley sorted everything out. The ministry were looking for Harry, but no one knew he was there. You say you talked to Ron's cousin. That was Harry in disguise. If the ministry found out Harry was staying at the Burrow merlin knows what would have happened to the Weasleys. They did have to go into hiding later though. They stayed with their Great Aunt._

_Me, Ron and Harry went into hiding after that. We had to find some things. I don't know if you've heard of them, but we were searching for Horcruxes. It's dark magic. Voldemort used them to conceal parts of his soul. We had to find each one and destroy it before Harry could kill him. The majority of the time we spent in hiding, we were trying to work out where the next would be. Dumbledore had already destroyed one, as had harry. So that meant we had five more to get. It's a long and tedious story; far too long to write in a letter. But one day I will tell you what happened, maybe when you visit. You are certainly welcome to visit for new years. By then I should be in my own flat._

_Harry said me and Ron were together at the wedding? Harry must have worked it out before me and Ron had because we weren't actually together then. We are now though. We've been in a relationship for about a year now. I don't think he ever really disliked you. You're right about him being jealous. I didn't realise at the time, but it's quite obvious looking back. I'm sure he would be a lot kinder to you now though. It was a long time ago when we were going out. And he has grown up a great deal since then. But what about you? Is there a girl in your life?_

_And yes, I was telling the truth. You're writing is better than Ron's. You should try reading his notes for work. They make no sense. I'm sure he knows what they say though. At least, I hope he does. I've read 'Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century' a few years back. I found it very interesting. I'm not familiar with the other two. I strongly recommend 'Whispers of Wizards'. I read it recently and loved it. It's a comedy set in the sixteen hundreds about witch burning. _

_I knew you would remember Ginny, she isn't easily forgotten. Fred and George were the twins' names. Sadly Fred died a year ago. It is awful; it's not really been the same since. As you know, it's not an easy thing, losing someone so close. It's been so hard on the family. Poor George isn't coping at all. Everyone has been so worried about him. He's completely barricaded himself away in his flat. He rarely visits anyone. Molly, their mother, is really panicking about him. He has a friend called Angelina. She often visits molly to help comfort her. Angelina is the only person George is really talking to. She was in a relationship with Fred when he died, so I guess they've bonded through that. She's very worried about him. I think that's why she's got so close to Molly. They're both trying to get him back on track._

_I was quite surprised when Harry said he wanted to go straight into his Auror training. I expected him to try out for a team first, and then pursue being an Auror a few years down the line. I guess catching death eaters appealed that bit much. And yes, they love it. Constantly gloating about who they've caught. I think it's a kind of closure for them. It sounds silly, but a kind of 'last revenge'. It's turned very competitive between them. They both want to catch the most dangerous, or the most wanted. But it's all in good nature. It's helped Harry, being able to find some light in it._

_Congratulations on winning your match by the way! I am sure it wasn't my luck that won it. You can't doubt your talent. I am sorry to hear about your father. I can't imagine how hard it must be for him - for all of you. I guess all I can say is wounds that deep take time to heal. You're a good person, helping your father when you are so busy yourself. He's lucky to have someone so caring to help._

_I haven't seen my parents in two years. I wiped their memory before we went into hiding. Death Eaters were bound to go straight for them if they knew I was with Harry. They've moved to Australia, I've been told. Ministry officials are keeping an eye on them for now. I just want to wait until I can be sure it is safe for them to return and have their memories recovered. It shouldn't be long now, so I'm really excited._

_Hope to hear from you soon,_

_Hermione_


	6. October 23rd

_Dear Hermione,_

_I know exactly what you mean. Talking to you takes my mind off the stress of quidditch season. I am very excited to see you at new years._

_Congratulations on getting the job. I am very proud for you. A job at the ministry right after leaving school is a very good achievement. Not many people could do it, but I knew you could. I remember when we were together, you talked about the elves. You're still still working on that? You could make a big difference now you are in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical creatures._

_I wouldn't worry about the hard work. You are a very hard worker. Your NEWTs show it. I think Ginny is saying the right thing. You do expect far too much of yourself. Six Outstanding's are incredible. I got two Outstanding's, two Exceeds Expectations, an Acceptable and a Dreadful. But the Dreadful was in Dark Arts, so I'm not concerned. We were all told we must take, even if we thought it was bad._

_I am shocked that the cousin was Harry. He was very well disguised. It is a shame I didn't know it was Harry, I did want to talk to him properly. He did say you were together. It seems everyone saw it before you two did. Even since you were both fourteen he had feelings for you. I do hope you are right about him not disliking me. I think we could be friends if we were given the chance. I think he forgave me after the triwizard tournament. He asked for an autograph, which seemed very odd after how he had acted. But we were young then and we all could have acted better towards each other. I have no doubt he has grown up since then. In fact, I am sure everyone has changed. _

_You say you were looking for horcruxes. That was the last question in out Dark Arts exam. I remember it well because it made me so angry. I answered very little on the exam. Not because I didn't know the answer, but because I didn't want to answer it. Horcruxes are terrible. I hated learning about them. I didn't like the idea of it being in the exam. At seventeen we were being questioned on such evil, as if it were an expectation. I didn't know that Voldemort used them, but it makes sense. I cannot believe he made seven though. It is a terrible thing. Anyway, your story will be interesting. I cannot wait to hear what happened when you were looking for them. Maybe something to tell when I visit soon._

_I will look for 'Whispers of Wizards'. It sounds amusing, I look forward to reading it. There are few shops which sell English books in Bulgaria, but there is one in a town a few miles away where I might be able to get it. You would love the shop. It has some common books and some very old and unusual books. It also has muggle books. There are a lot of muggles in the town, so the witch who owns it has made two rooms. The first is full of muggle books. They are all new and shiny. It is all white, with leather sofas. And tidy. It looks very tidy, a bit too tidy, not like the other room. Through the door the muggles don't see, it is very different. There is a fire, and shelves and shelves of dusty old books. I like reading in there. Mrs Coral, the shop owner, brings cake and tea every so often, and her two cats sit at your feet. It is much nicer than the muggle room. One day I will take you there because you would love it._

_I am very sad to hear of Fred's death. I never talked to him, but he seemed very happy. They both made people laugh, I remember. I feel for the whole family. I do know how difficult it is, but there is not a lot that can be done. You were right, wounds that deep do take a long time to heal. The best thing for George is support. I am sure he gets it. The Weasleys are a nice family. They were all so happy together at Fleur's wedding. He will get better with a family like that I am sure. And it is also good that he can get through it with this Angelina. She sounds like she really cares, she must be a huge help. I do hope everyone else is dealing with it well. It isn't fair that such a loving family should be put though something so cruel. _

_I do understand what you mean when you say it is like closure for Harry and Ron. But didn't Ron want to play quidditch at one point? I am sure you told me that when we used to write. It is good they enjoy the job, it is well suited. Also, they have the best experience with being an auror. Not many people who want to be an auror can say they fought and defeated Lord Voldemort, himself. It is funny that they turn it into a game. It must get on your nerves sometimes, when they talk about it. Or do you find it amusing?_

_And thank you for the congratulations. We now only need one match to become top of the league. If we win the next match we will be first. After new years I will get you, Harry, Ron and Ginny tickets to a match if you would like. If we stay at the top and make it to the final match, I will get those tickets. It is very hard to get tickets for the final match. They are very expensive and get bought very quick._

_I am grateful for what you say about my father. I am trying very hard to help him, but so would anyone. I am not doing anything special, I am just doing what needs to be done to cheer him up. I just want to see him get happier again. You will know what I mean. You have sacrificed seeing you parents for two years just to protect them. Anyone would say that it is an incredible thing you are doing. But you think it is just what you must do. Am I right?_

_Anyway, well done again on your job, you will make a difference there._

_I am looking forward to your next letter,_

_Viktor_


	7. November 8th

_Dear Viktor,_

_It will be so lovely to have you for new years. It's getting so close now, only next month. I should be moved into my flat by then. Finding the perfect flat, within my budget was impossible, but I have finally found one I've fallen in love with. It's out in the country, right next to an old farm. The landscape is breathtaking, like something out of an old painting. Miles and miles of green hill side, cattle grazing in the distance, huge abandoned barns to explore. The flat is in the old farm house, which is something out of a dream. An enormous fireplace in each flat (there's five in total), antique carpets, thatched roof, picket fence. I really can't believe I've found it at such a cheap renting price. I'm trying really hard not to get too attached because I know how much attention it's getting. I really had to force myself not to put a charming spell on the lovely old muggle lady who showed me around. Of course, I didn't though. That really would be a dreadful thing to do. She was so sweet and I knew she deserved to choose who lived in her house on her own. I've been trying to charm her without magic; simply smiles and compliments._

_And thank you, I am so pleased I got it. It really is a dream come true. For my first job, the pay isn't half bad, which is fantastic because I need that flat! And yes, I still have an interest in changing elvish welfare for the better. SPEW never really went down the way I would have hoped. It will be a while before I can make any real changes, I'm only an assistant after all. Even so, I have been dropping little ideas and suggestions to my boss in the hope that he'll find some potential in one of them._

_You and Ginny are both right. I raise my expectations too high, so when I don't get the grade I want I really punish myself. I know I do it and yet I can't seem to stop. I do it at work now. I'm always busy creating these ridiculous deadlines to hit, and running round the office like a headless chicken trying to achieve the impossible. So often, I'm being told to go home because it's nearly eleven o'clock and I'm still sat at my desk scribbling away._

_I can't believe you had to take dark arts as a NEWT. Surely your ministry in Bulgaria would have put a stop to it. I can't understand how that would have happened. Isn't it the ministry that creates and marks the NEWT exams anyway? Surely now they have abolished it though. You said their was a new headmaster, do you know if he's still allowing it? It's horrific that you were getting forced to take a qualification in dark arts – illegal magic!_

_I shouldn't worry too much about not being able to talk to Harry at the wedding. Mrs Weasley is organising a new years party, so you will catch up with everyone there. Fleur will be there too, it must have been a while since you've talked to her as well. Married life is doing her well; she's so much more polite and relaxed now. Her and Bill are so happy together, it's really sweet. They've just announced that they are expecting their first child, which has had everyone very excited. Molly and Arthur (Ron's parents) are ecstatic about having their first grandchild and the rest of us can't wait to be aunts and uncles, whether it's biological or not._

_You're right when you said everyone saw mine and Ron's feelings for each other before we did. It must have wound Harry up so much. You never answered my question about there being a girl in your life. Am I supposed to assume there is lucky a lady? _

_Any way, I am certain Ron does like you. He can be a little rude when he gets jealous, but there's no need for it any more. You'll finally be able to see the Ron the rest of us see. And to be perfectly honest, he would love to get to know you. He won't admit it, but he is a massive fan. He still has your autograph hidden away in his sock draw. I found it the other day, much to his embarrassment. And you're right, he has changed a huge amount, it really showed when we were in hiding. At first he couldn't cope, it got too much for him. He couldn't handle being away from his family, so he left. It was a massive turning point for him. I think he realised then what he had done instantly, but the problem was he couldn't find us again. He said he was desperate to come back to us. He felt guilty the moment he'd left. But eventually, with some help from Dumbledore, he came back to us. I could tell he'd changed after that. To begin with I was furious that he's left in the first place, but as I forgave him, I realised just how loyal and selfless he could be. That was a side of him I'd never seen before, and if I hadn't I don't think we'd be together now._

_That book shop sounds beautiful. I love exploring funny little shops like that. There's a nice little tea room that's just opened up in Diagon alley. It's tucked away, behind all the big shops, so few people know of it. It's a lovely little place to take a book or a paper I need to write for work. I'd love to visit the shop you talk of. Maybe one day I'll visit you and you can take me there._

_It's a shame you never got to talk to Fred. He was so wonderful. It's made even worse now though because the family feel as if they've lost two sons instead of one. Poor George really doesn't know what to do with himself. It's been a whole year and he's still grieving. I mean, I know it'll always be with him now, but he can't seem to move forward at all. I'm not judging him, no one is, it's just so painful to see. He can't find anything to motivate him any more. He's stopped working at the joke shop. Percy and his girlfriend, Audrey, have been taking care of it for him. Of course, every ones chipping in, doing shifts when they can, No one wants the shop to fail. We're motivated by his memory, we're doing it for Fred. It's just going to take time for George to realise that the shop could help him. That it would have been what Fred would have wanted. He wouldn't have wanted to see George like this, none of us do. We just all have to persevere until George is ready. _

_Anyway, Ron has always wanted to be a quidditch player, but, like Harry, he just wanted to be a Auror more. I do find their constant banter a little irritating sometimes, but it's too hard to stay annoyed at them. After everything, it's nice that there is some humour in it. Sometimes I find my self joining in._

_Thank you for the offer for the final match tickets. I know you'll make it there. Many people have told me Bulgaria are playing the best they've ever played. Again, I apologise for my lack of Quidditch Knowledge and my need to ask other people on how the league is looking. I told Harry, Ron and Ginny that you may be able to get us tickets to the final match. I've never seen them get so excited. _

_And yes, you are right. Everyone tells me that what I've done for my parents is incredible, but to me it's just what anyone would have done. I don't see it as anything special or unusual. I feel like it would be odd if I hadn't have done what I did. It's simply what should be done._

_Thank you,_

_I hope to hear from you soon,_

_Hermione._


	8. November 25th

_Dear Hermione,_

_The flat sounds very good. I do hope you get it. It will be nice to see this place when I come to stay. It sounds very peaceful. I, too, am moving soon. My dear old friend, Ana, has fallen ill and I am moving in to care for her. It will be hard around Quidditch, but it is better than nothing. She has no one else to care for her, so I must._

_I met Ana when I stated my first year at Durmstrang. We didn't get off to a good start, neither of us talked to our fellow students. I didn't because I was too scared, but she didn't because she didn't want to. I could see she was the same as me, so I tried to talk to her. I thought that as both of us were outsiders, it would make sense if we became friends. I didn't introduce myself to anyone else, just her, because I thought she was the only person who wouldn't turn on me. I was very nervous as a child. She did turn though. She said some mean things, I've forgotten what she said now, but at the time it upset me a lot. After that one incident she didn't talk to me again and I made sure I stayed away from her from then on. I did watch her though. I found it odd that she was so desperate to keep people away from her, to ensure she had no friends. The one thing I longed for most was something she felt must not have. I didn't dislike her after she was so rude to me, because part of me knew she wasn't a mean person._

_By third year I had made some friends. I got on okay with them, but I wasn't very close to them. They were the sort of friends you only stay with because you'd prefer to be with anyone rather than on you own. I still found Ana interesting. She still had few friends and it seemed she liked it that way. I like to watch her because she was like my opposite. She had chances to be peoples friend, but turned them down. I tagged along with people I had nothing in common with out of desperation to feel like I had friends. I could see she was more comfortable with others now. She smiled and talked to people if they struck up a conversation, but didn't talk for long. On rare occasions she would talk to me in class. She'd even apologised for what she said in first year, however, when I invited her to come to the near village with me she smiled and turned me down._

_In fourth year I made it onto my house quidditch team. It was strange because suddenly everyone wanted to know me and I didn't really know what to do. I found that all the attention wasn't what I really wanted. I had more friends and I wasn't used to it. I liked to go for walks in the grounds to get away from them for a little while. The school grounds were so vast, you could walk for hours and hours and you would still be within the school. One day when I was walking I found a small building. It looked like an old cottage, but it was deserted and the door was unlocked. Inside there was old furniture. It was surprisingly clean, but being young and naïve, I didn't think it was anything odd. I thought I was the only person to know about it. I would take by books and school work and sit by the fire I had conjured, busy and undisturbed. _

_It went like that for a few weeks, until one day I went to the cottage and Ana was already there. She was sat in the rocking chair with her eyes closed. I thought she was asleep and tried to creep out, but she heard me. I was sure she would get angry, but she didn't, she was okay with me being at the cottage. It turned out she found the cottage only a few months after we had started school. For the months that followed we continued to go to the cottage. Most of the time I didn't meet her there, we went at different times. But on the chance we met we would talk. It was very easy to talk to Ana. It turned out we had lots on common._

_By fifth year we became very close. We would deliberately meet together there. I found out a lot about her. I learnt why she didn't like having friends. When she was a child her family were murdered. She grew up in a muggle orphanage where she was bullied. She told them about her magic parents and they laughed. She was too young at the time to understand that muggles shouldn't know about magic, however, the bullying soon stopped her from talking about it. Even her friends had told her she was a liar. She said by the time she was eleven she'd been convinced that she had made it all up. She thought that the memory of her magic parents was just a childish game she had played. But, when a ministry worker had come to take her to the school, she realised it was all true. She never forgave her friends for making her forget what her dead parents were really like, and what they could do. After that, she found it hard to trust people. It is nice now though. We both feel like we can trust each other with anything. She is the closest friend I've ever had. I think you would get on well together. Maybe one day you will meet._

_I have gone on a bit, sorry. _

_You say you are still working for elvish welfare. Does your boss like the sound of SPEW then? And anyway, I am sure you are making a big difference, even if you think you are not. But you must be careful not to over work yourself. Working to eleven isn't very good for you. I bet you will be the best worker they have ever had, even if you half the amount of work you do._

_I agree with you about doing Dark Arts as a NEWT. I'm not sure that it was actually real. I think it was just one Karkaroff made up. I think the ministry didn't know about it, they would have been horrified if they did. I am sure they would have stopped it. I think they must know about it now though. The new headmaster doesn't force it and I have been told the ministry is keeping an eye on the school now. So the school is much improved._

_It will be nice to talk to everyone at new years. It will be wonderful to see Fleur. She sometimes writes, but she hasn't recently. I have written to congratulate her. I can imagine it is very exciting to have a new baby coming into the family. _

_I'm sorry I did not answer your question. I did have a girlfriend. She is called Magda and she is a famous singer here, in Bulgaria. Our relationship was made very public, which was hard for us. It put us under a lot of strain, so after a year we decided to break up. It felt very unfair because I think we could have had been together for a long time. It was only last month that we broke up, so it was quite hard to write. But now I am feeling okay. We talk sometimes, which is good. So maybe one day we could try again, I hope. But at the moment it is very hard to have a relationship. Quidditch leaves very little time for that._

_You are welcome for the quidditch tickets. But remember, I am not certain I will make it to the final. Don't get your hopes up too high, there's still a chance we could lose our next few games and be out of the running._

_I am sorry to hear about Georges suffering. I do wish the whole family well. _

_Thank you for your letter,_

_Viktor_


	9. December 6th

_Dear Viktor,_

_I found your last letter very interesting. Ana sounds wonderful. I would love to meet her one day. It's a shame she is ill, but I'm sure she'll get better. I hope it is nothing too serious. Do you know what exactly is wrong with her? Have you gone to see a healer? You've never told me about her before. It strange because it sounds like you care for her a lot. You also never told me about your early years in Durmstrang. Was it hard for you - being so alone? I can't imagine how I would have coped without Harry and Ron with me. It feels like a whole different side to you that I hadn't known before that last letter. _

_Anyway, how have you been recently? I worry a lot about you. I hope you father's feeling all right. It must be a lot of pressure on you, helping him, training for quidditch, and now caring for Ana. I know you're not one to admit you're struggling, but if you ever want to let your feelings out don't hesitate to write to me about it. I wish I could offer to talk to you about it properly, but obviously, that's not really possible at the moment. I find it so frustrating that I can't be more of a help to you. When you come to stay I promise to give you a really big hug._

_Which reminds me. I've got the flat. The land lady, Mrs Lobelia, came around just last night to tell me. She's really lovely and very odd, she reminds me so much of my Great Aunt. She died when I was quite young, but I remember her well. My great aunt, Rosie, was always knitting and always baking. Last night Mrs Lobelia arrived at my door with a tin of cake in one hand and her bag of knitting in the other. I didn't even have to invite her in. She smiled kindly when I opened the door and with a, "Good evening sweetie," she invited herself in and found her way into the kitchen. By the time I'd closed the front door behind her and followed her through, she's already made herself at home. The tin was open on the table, an assortment of muffins inside. Mrs Lobelia had sat herself down with her knitting, a carrot cake muffin in front of her. Her smile widened as soon as I entered the room and she told me to put the kettle on because she had some good news for me._

_It's perfect because now you can definitely stay. My current apartment is ridiculously small. There's no way I could have anyone stay round here. There's barely room for me to live here comfortably. I'm so excited. I'll be in my new flat and unpacked by the end of the week. Harry and Bill have arranged to help move my furniture on Wednesday. I can't wait for you to see it, it's so beautiful._

_Works going okay. I'm trying very hard not to overwork myself, it's just there seems there's so much to do. My boss is piling on assignment after assignment, but it's nothing I can't handle. I haven't told him about my SPEW campaign just yet. I'm going about it more subtly than that. I can't imagine shaking a tin of SPEW badges under his nose would impress him. It certainly didn't work at Hogwarts. I have mentioned Elvish welfare though and he hasn't been opposed, which is good. I have been trying very hard to get him to look at the current treatment of werewolves. I used to have friend who was a werewolf, he was one of the kindest men I've ever known, but was treated appallingly._

_I'm sorry to hear about Magda. I can't imagine how unjust it must feel to have something taken from you like that. I suppose it's good that you're talking though. It's more than I can say for me and Ron. We had an awful row the other day. He was furious because I forgot to meet with him for dinner, and instead stayed behind at work. It lead to and argument about our priorities. He said I cared more about my job than him. I don't think I'm upset about it; we have had worse and I know we'll sort it out. I just feel really angry with him. I feel like I'm trying so hard to earn a living so we can build a future together, and he's more concerned with having a good time._

_On a more positive note, everyone's looking forward to seeing you on new years. It will be wonderful. I'm so excited, I can't believe it's less than a month already. Do you have any idea yet what day you can make it? And how you are travelling? I'll meet you when you arrive. _

_I hope you're well,_

_Hermione._


End file.
